The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Zarzuela can sign with UTEP in November and his verbal commitment is nonbinding. Terry or any of the UTEP coaches cannot comment on Zarzuela until he officially signs his National Letter of Intent.

Zarzuela has been on the Spring Woods varsity team since his freshman season of high school. He averaged 17.6 points and 2.7 assists per game last year for the Tigers, who went 19-14.

"UTEP will be excited about what Jesse brings to the program," said Spring Woods coach Joe Gibson, who has coached Zarzuela throughout his high school career. "He has a really good skill level. He can shoot the ball well and he can play the point guard or the off-guard spot. In middle school he was on the B-team, but since he got to school, he has really worked hard; he has really improved. He has a bright future."

Zarzuela reportedly had other offers from Louisiana Tech, Denver and Cal-Riverside.

"I went on my visit to UTEP recently and really liked it," Zarzuela said. "Coach Gibson went with me and he's a father figure to me. We talked about it, my visit and my decision. It felt right to pick UTEP. I feel like my strengths as a player are that I can distribute the ball and I play as hard as I can."

Terry and his staff signed several players for this upcoming season and for the future after he was hired in March to replace Tim Floyd.

Among the players Terry signed in the spring and early summer were guards Nigel Hawkins and Souley Boum and forwards Bryson Williams and Tydus Verhoeven.

UTEP plays its first game under the new coaching staff Nov. 6 at home against UT-Permian Basin at the Don Haskins Center.